College ESL writers' journeys through the process approach to writing: Eight case studies

During the past decade, the process-oriented approach to writing has been widely accepted in the field of teaching English as a Second language (ESL). Although an extensive body of research about process-oriented first language writing practices exists, there is little description of second language classroom practices in which the instructor and the students come together to write.; The purpose of this study was to examine how a process-oriented approach influences college ESL students' writing and to illuminate the development of ESL writers at a community college in a large northeastern city in the United States.; The research methodology employed an ethnographic case study design in order to observe, describe, and analyze the interactional aspects of an ESL classroom and ESL students. The participants of this study included an instructor and eight students, ranging in age from 19 to 37, who had been in the United States for a minimum of 10 months and a maximum of seven years and who were literate in their native language. They were observed for one semester and were interviewed both at the beginning and at the end of the semester. Their interviews were audio-taped and transcribed. All of their written work—journals and several drafts of essays—were collected. The interview data and the journal entries were coded and served to identify student responses to the process approach. The drafts of the essays were analyzed to determine in which way instructor and peer feedback influenced the students' writing process.; The findings of the study revealed that the process-oriented approach to writing had positive effects on college ESL students' writing skills, and that it served each student's particular needs. The students became more proficient writers after processing the feedback and revising their essays. All students reported that they benefited from the explicit guidance of the instructor's intervention in their writing processes. However, the students' reactions to peer feedback and group discussions turned out to be diverse according to their different levels of proficiency.